


A Grain of Sand

by banquos_ghost



Series: Mad About The Boy [4]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Cunnilingus, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Game Spoilers, Porn With Plot, Smut, Some Humor, Swearing, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:48:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6809773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banquos_ghost/pseuds/banquos_ghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Silver Shroud comes to town the gossips of Goodneighbor enjoy a day that will keep their tongues wagging for weeks to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Shroud

**Author's Note:**

> Most of Kent's dialogue in the opening chapter is taken straight from The Silver Shroud quest dialogue, as are some of the other conversational responses in this story. (In other words, they're Bethesda's words, not mine)

Kent Connolly blinked up at Nora, his face full of hope, 'You up for being the Silver Shroud? You're just like him! Except you probably haven't been in a blimp shot down by mobsters'

It should have been a sweet payday, but now they had this additional _complication_. Kent had finally got his gleeful hands on the Silver Shroud costume and he wanted to do more with it than put it in a fancy display case. Oh, no, nothing as mundane and normal as that. Kent had got the idea into his head of recreating the Silver Shroud for real. With Nora cast in the leading role.

Nora recoiled, horrified at the idea. 'No way! I'm not doing it.' This had to be some sort of joke, right? Did he seriously expect her to put on a dumb TV prop and go around pretending to be a fictional superhero? She knew this world was fucked up, but this was crazy even by Wasteland standards. Kent was still looking up at her hopefully, completely ignoring her point blank refusal.  
Nora wasn't going to give up so easily so she decided to try another tack.

'Why can't he do it?' She jerked her thumb in the direction of MacCready who was lounging in the doorway of Kent's room.

'Him?' Kent's laugh came out as a low rumble, 'Oh no, he's way too young to be the Shroud!'

Nora didn't even need to turn to look, she could sense MacCready's smug expression. It rankled enough that she was ten years older than him without being constantly reminded of the fact.

'So, what do you say?' Kent sat looking up at her expectantly, 'Do we have a Silver Shroud?'

She wasn't ready to throw in the towel quite yet, and played her one remaining card 'B-B-But... The Silver Shroud's a man? In case you hadn't noticed I'm a woman?'

MacCready interjected 'So, you're a sexist as well as a killjoy now? An _old_ killjoy...' Sure enough the predicted smug grin was firmly in place on his face. _She's going to give me hell for this later_ he thought. But it was worth it.. 

'Man or woman, whatever, that doesn't matter. It's about attitude. You would make the perfect Silver Shroud.' said Kent, leaning forward from his chair in a state of excitement. 'No one else would help me find the costume. Even though it sounds crazy, you cared.'

_Cared about the caps..._ thought Nora. If she had known that instead of a nice little payday she'd be walking into an ambush by a kindly ghoul and her own partner she'd never have agreed to do the Hubris Comics job in the first place.

'Sorry Kent, I'm not superhero material...' Nora persisted, maybe a polite refusal would still save the day, despite all the evidence pointing to a rout.

Kent carried on with his persuasion, he'd played the flattery angle so now he seemed to be trying to guilt trip her into becoming the Shroud. 'The whole world's fallen. Fallen hard. We got to fight to make the place b-b-better. Are you in?'

'Ok,maybe ........ but I want more caps.' Nora tried to salvage some dignity before she succumbed to the inevitable. 

'If it'll get you to help. Sure. I-I may be able to scrounge up a couple of things,' Kent continued looking up at Nora with pleading eyes.

'Oh go on, Nora, it sounds like fun!' MacCready chipped in.

'Will you do it then?' Kent looked up at her hopefully.

'Yeah, go on Nora... The world needs more superheroes,' MacCready joined in with Kent's charm offensive . 

Great. Now she had two pairs of puppy dog eyes looking pleadingly at her. She knew when she was beaten. 'Looks like I get to be the Shroud. Yay.'

 

Nora hung back in the shadows of the Memory Den's vestibule. She still had grave reservations about this whole Silver Shroud _thing_. She fiddled with the belt on her trench coat trying to stave off the inevitable. 'I thought we'd just pop to Hubris, recover the costume and collect our caps. And put a smile back on Kent's face. Win-win. But oh no, he wants to act out his bizarre fantasy. Which would be fine if he hadn't chosen me as his damn patsy.' Nora was considering marching back in and telling Kent where he could stick his silver machine gun. She brandished the weapon violently causing MacCready to duck away from the swinging gun. 'I'm not even gonna use this damn gun anyway. Forget it. I'm not getting that close to the action. If we do this thing at all I'll use my own bloody rifle and Kent will be none the wiser'

'Alright, calm down, Shroud...' MacCready was revelling in the spectacle of Nora's discomfort. 

Nora turned on MacCready 'Oh, and don't think I've forgiven you for encouraging him either.'

'You're just sore cos he called you old...' MacCready laughed loud and long at his own wit. Nora failed to see the joke. 

'He did _not_ call me old. He said _you_ were too young. See, there's a difference.' Nora snapped. 

'Not from where I'm standing.' MacCready swiftly opened the Memory Den door and retreated into  
Goodneighbor before Nora could start swinging that bloody gun around again. 

 

'Hey, Silver Shroud. Come on, tell me your secret identity, I won't tell anyone...' the drifter cleaning the streets of Goodneighbor cackled at Nora as she passed. The extravagant billowing of the Silver Shroud trench coat and the iconic hat didn't exactly allow the wearer to blend into the background. 

Nora stood rooted to the spot, cheeks glowing with self conscious embarrassment. 'Right, that's it Mac. I'm not doing this'. Nora started to try and divest herself of the Shroud's trench coat, but the knot she'd spent so long fiddling with in the Memory Den was showing no signs of yielding.

'C'mon give it a chance. Besides it suits you...' MacCready adopted his best placatory tone. 

'Does it?' Nora busied herself trying to find an un-shattered window to examine her reflection in. Failing to find one she had to make do with MacCready's repeated assertions that she looked fabulous in the Silver Shroud outfit.

MacCready's flattery soon had the desired effect on Nora and she started to warm to the role of the Silver Shroud. She stopped fiddling with the belt and paused to consider the plan of action. 'Right I guess now we just hang around and listen to the radio to see what Kent wants us to do next. I think I'll go and see Daisy, take cover from these mocking idiots. You coming?'

'Nah' those two would be flapping their gums about the old days for hours. MacCready decided to head to the Third Rail for a cold one.


	2. The Third Rail

Whitechapel Charlie greeted MacCready in his usual direct manner, 'Let you off the leash has she, mate?' 

'Ha ha very funny. I'll have a beer please, Charlie, if it's not too much trouble'

MacCready carried his beer through to the deserted VIP room. A bit of peace wouldn't go amiss. As much as he enjoyed Magnolia's singing he wasn't in the mood for listening to loud music and making chit chat. There was a intangible feeling of strangeness about being back in the same four walls where he'd spent his days idly waiting for clients before Nora had hired him. He almost felt as if he could see the ghost of himself sitting in his habitual seat miserably waiting for a lucky break. Shaking his head to rid it of such flights of fancy he reclined on the sofa, beer in hand. He was safe from the Gunners' threat now and he took a moment to savour the feeling.

Nora would be chatting for ages with Daisy so he'd have a good chance to chill and gather his scattered thoughts. He'd never been one for navel gazing but dammit if Nora wasn't exhausting him. Things had been pretty good between them since beating the Gunners at Mass Pike Interchange but Nora was like a freakin' dog with a bone about their 'relationship.' She told him she loved him daily and he had made some vague indication of feelings of affection in return but hadn't gone as far as replying in kind. Because he didn't - as far as one can ever know these things- love her.

He'd deceived Nora into helping him, taking advantage of her infatuation with him to beat the Gunners, and ended up regretting it. He'd resolved to be one hundred percent honest with her since that regrettable incident and it was still causing her pain. He sighed into his pint. He just couldn't win. He was the bad guy if he lied to her, but if he told her the truth he _still_ felt like a bad guy when he saw the barely concealed disappointment on her face. Why did she set such store by hearing him say _stuff?_ As far as he was concerned they were together, a team. She was his best friend, the one person in the Wasteland he could trust with his life. That should count for something and show her how much he cared for her. Why did she have to complicate shit by endlessly analysing things and putting labels on feelings?

Then there was the not so little matter of trying to get the antidote for Duncan from Med-Tek. He had been toying with the idea of paying someone to accompany him now that he had a few caps to his name. The trouble was, there was nobody that he could trust to do the job with him except Nora. She would do anything for him. He knew that, and the temptation to ask her to go there was becoming unbearable. It was his betrayal of her at Mass Pike Interchange that kept preventing him from asking. She'd already done so much for him, yet he had smashed Nora's trust into pieces. He viewed their partnership as still fragile and was loath to push his agenda too hard. Nora was the only one he wanted and trusted by his side so he continued to delay asking her. He'd waited this long. A few more days wouldn't hurt.

MacCready lit a cigarette and blew a reflective smoke ring before smiling inanely. What a shame there was nobody around to witness that perfect halo of smoke that was now floating up to the ceiling and gracefully swirling apart. He'd been practicing that for ages and now he could do it effortlessly, but it still amused him every time he carried it off. Just like the uncomplicated joy derived from blowing a perfect smoke ring things had been so simple and right with Lucy. She had been happy just to let things be without expecting extravagant declarations of love constantly. She hadn't needed telling. She'd just known, the same way he had with her.  
________________________

Nora leant on the counter of Daisy's shop, replete with smiles. 'Do you really think he does love me then, Daisy?'

'Look kid,' Daisy rolled her eyes to the heavens, invoking a higher power to verify her words of wisdom, ' I told you a million times already and I'll say it again. That boy loves you. No matter what words he says or doesn't say, it's written on his face when he's with you. For gods sake just let him be. His head will catch up to his heart eventually.' Daisy paused to acknowledge Nora's eager nod before making her final declaration on the topic. 'That's the subject closed for today, we've been talking about it all morning!'

'Galaxy news.. Radio!' Nora's PipBoy burst into life making them both jump as it picked up the Silver Shroud radio broadcast. 

'That'll be Kent with his first job for the Shroud,' Nora said to Daisy, 'I better go and get Mac.'

'You're really going through with Kent's crazy scheme then?' Daisy was incredulous.

'Looks like it', Nora sighed as she left Daisy's shop in search of her partner.

 

She found him in the first place she'd looked- the Third Rail.

 

Once the Silver Shroud bandwagon started rolling it took on a life of its own. The first job that Kent assigned to them was to take out a piece of murdering lowlife scum, Wayne Delancy. It had been straightforward enough, and within a couple of hours of completion Kent's voice had cut into the Silver Shroud broadcast again. This time the target was a chems dealer, AJ, who had been making a range of chems targeting the kids of Diamond City. The Shroud swung into action for the second time - Nora was getting into the role now, even trying to maintain the Shroud's persona and speak with his voice. MacCready found this incredibly hilarious. Considering how reluctant Nora had been to become the Silver Shroud she had taken to it like a duck to water. 

When the third broadcast crackled into life on Nora's Pip Boy it had instructed the Shroud to question Whitechapel Charlie in the Third Rail. Luckily, they were already in the Third Rail.

'You look upon the Silver Shroud! I seek a miscreant named Kendra'. Nora spoke in her best Shroud voice to Whitechapel Charlie, she was perhaps a bit too over enthusiastic about staying in character now and MacCready nearly spat his drink out at how ridiculous she sounded. 

'The Shroud then? More like a nutter.' Whitechapel Charlie pretty much echoed the sentiments of all the punters in The Third Rail with his dismissive reply. Nora persisted with her wacky questioning and Charlie soon got tired of being nagged and divulged the details he knew about the Shroud's next target, an assassin called Kendra. She lived in Water Street Apartments, just south of Goodneighbor, an area rife with raiders. Nora and MacCready decided it was too late to leave Goodneighbor so they would visit Kendra the next day.


	3. Keeping Goodneighbor Entertained

People in Goodneighbor had been getting their kicks all day discussing the latest gossip of the moment. The Silver Shroud, or some nutter pretending to be him, was abroad and causing a sensation even in the town that had pretty much seen it all. The drinkers in The Third Rail had been cracking jokes all afternoon at Nora's expense and whilst she had taken the ribbing with good grace at first, she had since downed a few glasses of wine and was dangerously close to becoming overwrought. The heat of adrenaline had worn off and her usual self-doubt had returned . She was ranting semi-coherently about Kent Connolly and having second thoughts about visiting Kendra. 

MacCready knew Nora well enough now to know she was about to implode. She had been a good sport about being The Shroud and he was feeling guilty about encouraging Kent earlier. Nora had been through a lot and maybe this had pushed her a bit too hard, too soon. He had an idea that might take the heat off her but wasn't sure if he had the cojones to go through with it. Nora's bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes glossed over with unshed tears as another Third Rail slacker cracked jokes about the Silver Shroud _Do you know what ... Fuck it...._ thought MacCready. He excused himself to Nora saying he needed to use the bathroom. 

'Don't be too long... ' she hissed through gritted teeth. 'The crowd are getting ugly...'

When MacCready reached the bathroom he was having second thoughts about his idea. He gee'd himself up. He could do this... For Nora. So he rummaged around in his bag and withdrew the items he needed before he could change his mind. He took a deep breath and a quick hit of jet to ease the conflict raging inside him. _Ok let's do this thing._

MacCready stood brazenly at the bottom of the Third Rail steps dressed in the Grognak costume he'd found at Hubris. No point creeping about, best just to let them all have a good eye full. First one face then another turned to appreciate the second serving of free entertainment in Goodneighbor that day. Even Magnolia had stopped singing and the usual busy hum and background noise of the bar was reduced to the noise of Charlie's thruster hissing. 'Fucking hell.. _MacCready?'_ It was Charlie that broke the moment. 

'Nah, Grognak actually,' MacCready turned to face the barflies of Goodneighbor 'What? You never seen The Shroud and Grognak out drinking before..?'

He walked through the bar, acknowledging the smiling faces directed at him with a series of curt nods, and returned to his vacated seat. He was rewarded for his efforts by the biggest, sweetest, goofiest grin he'd ever seen from Nora.

'C'mon Grognak, let's leave these people to enjoy their drinks... ' They both stood up and bowed to the denizens of The Third Rail, all of whom were still staring avidly. As the two would-be superheroes walked through the crowded bar the assembled throng hurled wisecracks after them as they left. 

Out in the streets of Goodneighbor the guards and a motley group of random citizens were enjoying the amusing diversion as much as the drinkers in The Third Rail had. As Grognak and The Shroud walked to the Hotel Rexford a chorus of wolf whistles and bon mots erupted from the neighbourhood watch guards. Grognak and The Shroud ignored the mockery and walked to the Hotel with their heads held high.

'That was a nice thing you did for me back there.' Nora whispered. 'A really nice thing.' She stepped closer to MacCready where he stood framed by the doorway to the hotel room. 

She had never really _looked_ at him the way she was now. He wasn't fond of strutting around deshabille. He stood in the doorway of the hotel room, defiance emanating from the set of his shoulders. She walked over to the doorway and stood in front of him appraisingly. 'Don't you dare laugh...' his eyes met hers.

Nora was accustomed to MacCready playing the lead role in most of their interactions. It was his strength and boundless confidence that drew her to him so irresistibly. Clothed in the Grognak costume he looked discomforted and as far from his usual cocksure demeanour as it was possible to be. He remained standing awkwardly in the doorway, his bravado evaporated now it was just the two of them. His long limbs were battle scarred, bruised and coated with ingrained grime. Tan lines striped across his body highlighting his lack of clothing more starkly. Her heart flipped and jumped like a salmon out of the water. 

She reached out and spidered her fingers down his chest in a gently undulating wave. The tingling sensation caused an involuntary delightful shiver down MacCready's spine and he started to relax into the motion, as Nora's hand reached the skin at his neck where his beard started to thicken she stroked the skin delicately at first and with increased pressure as he started to sigh and pivot his head to allow her fingers greater access.

He could stand the ticklish sensations no longer and made a light groan as Nora anticipated exactly the right moment to move her caressing fingers to his scalp. Her fingers spun and traced tracks that made him quiver with anticipation. With her fingers entwined in his hair she eased his head back and nipped and kissed his neck, working her way up from his collar bone to his jawline. When she reached his lips her own lust was starting to build and her kisses soon erupted from gentle to insistent. 

Deciding that it was definitely the right time to jettison the Shroud's coat Nora broke their kiss to wrestle with the stupid knot in the belt that had been annoying her all day. 'For fucks sake Mac, help!' She looked at him with a pained expression on her face. 

'Sheesh, Nora... Way to ruin the moment...' MacCready grinned, 'shall I just cut it open..?'

'No, better not, Kent won't like it if his precious costume gets damaged....'

MacCready removed the gloves that he was wearing as part of the Grognak costume and placed them neatly on the floor. He bent his head low over the intricately knotted belt and picked at it with his fingers. 'Ahhh, I think I've unraveled it a bit now...' A few moments later the knot was loosened sufficiently and the belt could finally be untied. 

Nora shimmied the coat from her shoulders, relieved to finally be free of it. 'I love you, Mac, I know, I know.... You don't have to say anything...' She gently placed a finger over his lips to shush him. 'No need to say anything back...I just can't _not_ say it when I see you looking like that...and ARGH!' Nora broke off as MacCready surprised her by suddenly scooping her up into a fireman's lift and staggering into the bedroom with her slung over his shoulder. 

'Grognak says too much talk, not enough action....!' 

'Mac... What the hell!?' Nora laughed as MacCready made it as far as the bed before he dropped her down on it with all the grace of a super mutant attempting ballet. 

Nora was still laughing as MacCready slipped his boots and Grognak loin cloth off and joined her on the bed. They lay facing each other eyes trained on each other's faces while their laughter subsided. 

'Come closer, beautiful,' MacCready whispered, 'I want to show you how I feel about you, without having to talk about it... '  
She wasn't sure they could get any closer as they were lying chest to chest already but she was happy to try. She wrapped her arms around MacCready and pulled him into a tight bear hug of an embrace. She closed her eyes and gave herself to the comfort of holding his warm body against hers. They lay bound in each other's arms for several minutes before he wriggled free and moved to kneel beside her.

MacCready's lips fluttered softly over Nora's. Her lips sought his greedily in response, but MacCready pulled away and aimed his soft kisses over her shoulders as he eased her top off. His kisses danced over her belly and back up to her breasts, paying attention to each one in turn as he freed them from her bra. He threw the bra down to the floor where it landed beside his discarded Grognak gloves. With infuriatingly slow and tender fingers he stroked her breasts before cupping each one and suckling and nibbling on the sensitised engorged nipples.

Nora melted into the bed, her hands raking the sheets ineffectually as she luxuriated in the sensations emanating from her breasts and fanning out to her core. MacCready carried on with his exquisite torture as his soft kisses started to move down her body to her hipbone. 

One hand inserted itself between her legs and gently separated her thighs. Nora gasped and started to whimper at the expectation of pleasures received and pleasures yet to come. MacCready's soft infuriating kisses continued following the line of her hipbone before moving to the sensitised skin of her inner thigh. Nora's breathing was becoming ragged, her hands clawed as they continued to rake the sheets. MacCready's warm breath and the tickle of his beard on her thigh skin was almost too much to bear. Her pussy was crying out for attention, juice oozing onto the sheets, but MacCready continued to skirt around it, tantalisingly concentrating on the inner thigh. He brought his fingers in to play as well, using them to gently stroke up and down her inner legs from her knees to just short of where she _needed_ his fingers to be. 

Nora was desperate for MacCready to direct his attention to her pussy. She begged him, she pleaded with him. She tried to grasp his hair and direct his head where she wanted it to go, but MacCready carried on with his exploration of her thigh skin and try as she might he wouldn't be deviated. She tried to surreptitiously move her own hand down to stimulate herself but MacCready grabbed it and placed it firmly back on the sheets, causing her to curse him to hell and back, but his only response was a muffled laugh she felt vibrating through her thigh, causing her even more frustration. She started to buck her hips trying to generate some friction where she needed it the most. MacCready's hands went to her hips, grasped them and held them down. 

When his tongue finally touched her clit she groaned loud and long. With the most delicate of barely perceptible movements MacCready's tongue teased and pleasured her in equal measure. When he inserted two fingers into her white heat pulsated through her veins and spread from her core along her thighs until her whole body was enveloped in delicious waves of warmth. As his fingers pumped more vigorously the white hot heat gave way to spasms of feeling so pleasurable and intense she screamed for mercy and her blood coursed so strongly through her it made her eardrums throb. Her orgasm hit so hard that MacCready's touch was now unbearable and she scrabbled to remove his hand and tongue from her pussy, hoarsely whispering 'Enough for now'. MacCready understood and moved up the bed and took her in his arms. 

He held her cradled against him until her fretful breathing had calmed. He looked at her as she lay, her eyes half closed. As she recovered her equilibrium she pawed at the swell in his shorts and he shimmied out of them. She rolled onto her side and pushed her buttocks against his swollen cock. MacCready exhaled a long shaky breath as he penetrated her pussy with painstaking slowness. Nora pushed back into his cock, gasping as her pussy stretched to accommodate him. MacCready's hands roamed Nora's body as he started to thrust with an increased pace. When his hand started to stimulate her clit she called his name again and again into the Goodneighbor night. She could tell by MacCready's breathing he was close now and she pushed her buttocks back to meet his thrusts, squeezing her thighs together and tensing. MacCready groaned in response and he started to thrust erratically as he teetered on the brink. Nora continued pushing back onto him, but with increased intensity, matching his rhythm and tensing her walls around his cock. When she started murmuring a stream of consciousness about how his cock was filling her pussy and how much she loved it he knew he was undone. He buried himself to the hilt in her pussy and groaned her name as he filled her with his cum. 

Nora lay cradled in MacCready's arms and remained for a while in the same position even after his cock had subsided and left her pussy with a rush of their combined fluids. She revolved round to face him and stroked his face and gently peppered it with kisses. 'Thank you....'

MacCready looked puzzled 'You don't have to thank me it's not like I didn't enjoy it...'

'I'm not talking about _that_ , awesome as it was.....' Nora smiled, 'I mean thanks for making an idiot of yourself for me..... Dressing as Grognak..'

'Idiot? I thought I carried it off rather well... Maybe I should start wearing it all the time...' MacCready flashed that heartbreaking smile. The one that made Nora want to tell him she loved him until the morning came. But she didn't say it. Tonight had been wonderful and she didn't want to spoil it. She smiled back at him and kissed him. 

'Goodnight...'  
He kissed her in return, 'Goodnight....'  
They both snuggled down to sleep as the words unspoken flew round the room and vanished into the night air.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Screenshots to illustrate this story can be found on my tumblr page <http://thebanquosghost.tumblr.com>


End file.
